Q: LowePro Rover Plus AW - carrying comfort etc.

[btb]

Hi all.

I'm considering the LowePro Rover Plus AW:
Can anyone tell me:
* How good is the carrying comfort (esp. the back with sweating etc.) when using the Plus AW over extended time (like 3 day hiking trip.)?
* If you take out the camera compartment of the Plus AW, will it (the compartment) still be fit to protect the camera and equipment when used in another bag? (i.e. does it have a cover/lid of it's own or something) Or is the camera compartment only usable inside the Rover?
* Is there some mounting system / strips at the bottom of the backpack to fasten a sleeping bag or tent?
* Do the shoulder straps of this backpack have some hooks (at the shoulder level) to hook up a camera strap (So that there's the option of not having to hang the camera round the neck).
* The Lowepro HP only gives inside measures. How large (W/D/H) is it on the outside?

thanks for any infos!
(If you have some pictures that show some details I'd also appreciate.)

- martin

[DavidEB]

It's a very comfortable bag to carry. Like all frameless packs, it is close against the bag, so you do get sweaty. The padding system it has is about as good as any I've seen at keeping most of the pack away from the back.

as for a 3 day hike -- I doubt it. The upper (non-camera) part is pretty small, about the size of a smallish day pack. This is a good bag for a long day hike on rough terrain but it's definitely not for backpacking.

If you take out the padding of the camera compartment, you could use it in another bag, but it probably wouldn't fit properly. The top is a separate piece of padding held in place with velcro - if you put it in a bag of different dimensions it might not stay secure.

no mounting system at bottom. Other than the tripod mounts, no real facility to attach anything to the outside.

no mount for camera strap.

hope that helps.